Alaska Air Group Places Order for Q400 NextGen Aircraft; Confirms Five-Year Heavy Maintenance Agreement for Fleet

Bombardier Aerospace announced today that Seattle-based Horizon Air Industries, Inc. has signed a firm purchase agreement for one Bombardier Q400 NextGen turboprop airliner. The airline retains its options on another seven Q400 NextGen aircraft as announced previously. Additionally, Bombardier and Horizon Air confirmed they have signed a five-year heavy maintenance agreement whereby Bombardier will perform heavy maintenance tasks for the airline’s fleet of 52 Q400 aircraft at Bombardier’s service centre in Tucson, Arizona.

Based on the list price of the Q400 NextGen aircraft, the aircraft agreement is valued at approximately $32.6 million US.

“The Q400 aircraft has long been the backbone of our network success, and today we are pleased to confirm we are taking another Q400 NextGen aircraft as we look to increase our network capacity with aircraft that provide comfort and speed,” said Glenn Johnson, Horizon Air President. “As the largest operator of the Q400 aircraft, Horizon will be well served by having Bombardier’s expertise as our aircraft maintenance provider.”

“We’re thrilled that Horizon Air, a well-regarded regional airline and our long-term customer of almost 30 years, continues to look to Bombardier for its regional aircraft solutions,” said Mike Arcamone, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. “Our Q400 and Q400 NextGen aircraft remain North America’s preferred turboprop because they provide an unmatched combination of fuel efficiency, flexibility and performance.”

Established in 1981, Horizon Air was acquired in 1986 by Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines. At its start, the airline operated two aircraft and served three destinations in Washington State. Today, Horizon flies 51 76-seat Q400 aircraft on behalf of Alaska Airlines and serves 43 cities in the western United States, Canada and Mexico.